Lighting unit box



- I "E. HOLY LIGHTING UNIT Box Filed May 14, 1934- Patented Nov. 20,

UNITED STATES 1,981,731 LIGHTING UNIT BOX Mitchel E. Holy,

Corporation of ration of Delaware Posen, IlL, assignor to Container America, Chicago. 11]., a corpo- 1 Application May 14, 1934, Serial No. 725,463 3 Claims. (Cl. 206-44) The filler 4 is preferably made of such a size This invention relates to containers for electric lighting outfits and more particularly to that type of container designed to hold what are usually designated as Christmas tree lights, constituting a plurality of lamps assembled in sockets and connected in series to form a single lighting unit.

One object of the present invention is to provide a supporting member or filler adapted to be inserted within a tray or box, which filler is constructed and arranged for the reception and retention of a set of Christmas tree lamps.

Another object is to provide a filler of the type above described adapted to retain a set of lamps not only in secure and convenient manner but in an artistic and pleasing arrangement as well.

A further object is to provide a filler arranged to support lamps in a position intermediate the top and bottom of the box.

Other objects are to provide a filler which frictionally fits within the outer box and which will be retained in a desired position so as to afford protection to the lamps supported thereby.

To'these and other ends the invention resides in, certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will behereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

The present invention provides a simple, durable and at the same time, artistic arrangement for packing Christmas tree light units and similar electrical units in a box whereby the assembled lamps and sockets are held in a safe and secure manner during handling and shipment and wherebythe box may be readily opened and arranged for display in a neat and attractive manner without subjecting the lamps to danger of being broken or disarranged.

In the drawing, showing a preferred embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view light box opened up so as to units placed'therein; I Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the inner holding member or filler separated from its enclosing box; and

Fig. 3 is a view of the filler blank laid out flat.

Similar reference numerals throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the enclosing box, indicated as a whole as 1, preferably includes a cover 2 of any desired type.

The lower portion 3 of the box is in the form of a shallow tray and has fitted thereinto an inner holding member or filler for retaining the light unit in place within the box.

of a Christmas tree display the lighting that, when inserted in the box, it will frictionally fit the interior of the bottom section 3 of the box so as not to be readily displaceable therefrom unless a degree of force is applied to it. The filler is also constructed so as to maintain the assembled sockets and lamps in position in, which firm contact with both top and bottom walls of the box 1 will be avoided. The filler is preferably so designed as to retainthe assembled lamps and sockets along lines spaced from the central portion of the box so that the wire portion of the lighting unit may be neatly disposed between such rows oflamps.

Inthe present instance the lamps are preferably arranged in rows disposed at an angle to each other whereby a conventional Christmas tree light arrangement is indicated.

The preferred manner of forming the filler is illustrated in Fig. 3. The filler is preferably formed of readily foldable sheet material such as paper or fibre board and comprises a triangular central section or panel 5 and'lateral sections or panels 6, 6, also of generally triangular shape.

The lateral panels 6, 6 are provided with openings '7, '7 for the reception of the lamps and the filler is preferably constructed so that the pan els 6, 6 are held out of flat engagement with boththe top and bottom of the box.

In the present instance the panels 6, 6 are preferably Joined to the central panel 5 by intermediate strips or sections 8, 8 adapted to prorject upwardly from the central panel 5. When the intermediate sections 8, 8 are interposed between the panels 5 and 6 they are preferably provided with openings 9, -9 which form continuations of the openings '7, '7 in the panels 6, 6.

The top, bottom and outer edges of the panels 6, 6 are preferably provided with flap exten sions 10, 11 and 12 which, stance, are shown as adapted to rest flatwise respectively against the front, side and rear walls of the box. I

The side flaps 11 are provided with upstanding extensions 13 which are adapted to contact the top of the box and hold the panel 6 from coming into fiat contact therewith.

When the filler is set up, as indicated in.Fig. 2, the tips 14, 14 of the panel 6, 6 will meet, thus preventing further swinging movement of the intermediate section 8, 8 about their hinge con-. nections with the central panel 5. Thus the side flaps 11, 11, due to their natural resiliency will contact the side walls of the box to keep the filler in place. The flaps 10 and 12 also facilitate maintaining the filler in place due to their frictional contact with the front and back walls of the box.

When the box is put into use the lighting unit will be arranged so that the wire of the unit will rest on panel 5 and within the depression formed between panels 6, 6, and the assembled sockets and lamps will be received and retained in the apertures. By careful arrangement of the wire, the same can be made to simulate the branches of a Christmas tree and, by reason of the lamps surrounding the wire being arranged in a triangular manner a very artistic simulation of a decorated Christmas tree is produced. Due to the fact that the filler is snugly held in place in the box and by reason of the panel 6 being held spaced away from the top and bottom of the box, the lamps which are held in the openings will be afforded the maximum protection without in any way detracting from the appearance of the box.

While the present description sets forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, numerous changes may be made in the construction without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiment be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A box for Christmas tree lamps, comprising a tray, a cover therefor, a filler fitted into said tray, said filler having lateral panels provided with lamp receiving openings, a central panel adapted to rest on the bottom of said tray, intermediate sections projecting upwardly from the central panel and joined to the inner edges of the lateral panels to hold said edges spaced from the bottom of the tray and means for supporting the extremities of the lateral panels against displacement when the box is closed.

2. A box for Christmas tree lamps, comprising a tray, a cover therefor, a filler fitted into said tray, said filler having lateral panels provided with lamp receiving openings, a central panel adapted to rest on the bottom of said tray, intermediate sections projecting upwardly from the central panel and joined to the inner edges of the lateral panels to hold said edges spaced from the bottom 0f,the tra means for supporting the extremities of the lateral panels spaced from the bottom of the tray, and upward extending members associated with the lateral panels for contacting the cover when closed and limiting upward displacement of the lateral panels when the box is closed.

3. A filler adapted for insertion into a tray; said filler comprising a fibreboard blank having a central triangular shaped portion with its base disposed along one edge of the blank, a trapezium shaped portion at each side of the central triangular portion, a substantially rectangular strip lying at each side of the central triangular portion between it and the trapezium shaped portions, said strips being adapted to be bent upwardly from the triangular portion so as to support the adjoining edge of each trapezium shaped portion along a line disposed substantially vertically above the adjacent edge of the triangular portion, the triangular and the trapezium shaped portions being so shaped as to form substantially a rectangular figure when the rectangular strips are disposed substantially vertically and with the tra- 05 peziumand triangular portions lying in substantially parallel planes, and a flap on the opposite extremities of the blank along the edge of each trapezium shaped portion, said flaps being adapted to be bent downwardly to support the outer edges of the trapezium shaped portions so that such portions will be maintained in a plane substantially parallel with the plane of the triangular portion when the filler has been inserted within the tray, the trapezium shaped portions and the rectangular shaped strips lying between said portions and the triangular portion being provided with openings for the reception of an assembled lamp globe and socket when the filler is in set up condition.

MITCHEL E. HOLY. 

